What do you mean, an ABS kayak?
Please be specific. I don’t know of an ABS kayak on the market.
Where have YOU been?
It’s also called “thermoplastic”. Eddyline, Delta, Hurricane, Swift, Perception, etc.etc.etc.
Eh?
Why don’t ABS “Thermoplastic” kayaks get brittle in the sun like Royalex with a damaged vinyl layer? UV destroys ABS.
Phreon
I’m totally underwhelmed
Superglue? like the little tubes you buy at Staples?
This kayak (Eddyline Nighthawk) was on a trailer. One end was not secured (my hubby didn’t check all his assistant’s tie-downs). The kayak got dragged along the pavement and wedged behind a pole and bent in half. There are 2-3’ cracks on both sides. That’s feet, not inches. It is a $2500 kayak and we can’t afford to junk it. I’m trying to figure out how to salvage it. Superglue is probably not a viable option.
There was a post a while back about dissolving ABS scraps in acetone to create a slurry which was used to patch Royalex. My question is, can I use this slurry to fill the cracks in the ABS sheet that forms the hull to create a structural bond? Or will the acetone eat away at the hull before the slurry sets up?
If I can’t fix this kayak I am going to kill my husband. Slowly. Please help him live and give me some serious suggestions. Thank yewwww…
redrivercanoe gave a good reply:
ABS pipe glue.
You could be underwhelmed; many here say thank you. On the West Coast, one rep routinely repairs cracked boats with fiberglass boat materials, the same as you would a fiberglass boat (on the inside so it’s not so ugly).
Dragged down the street–bent in half–2 to 3 foot cracks; that sounds like some fairly capital repair. Good luck!
Underwhelmed?
Super Glue (CA) is what Hurricane recommends for small repairs.
You didn’t say you were measuring the cracks with a yardstick.
Ask the manufacturer what would be best and maybe get out the color chart to pick out a new boat.
try hear
You could try heat to weld it back together. ABS melts at a very low temp- 221 deg F. A heat gun like is used to remove paint or a carefully handled propane torch should do it.
I’d still give the glue a try as it dries nearly clear. You do not need the ‘pipe cleaner’ stuff. It’s used so that building inspectors can quickly see that the plumber glued the pipes, hence it’s hideous purple color.
Sorry and thanks!
Should’ve elaborated further about the extent of the damage. I do appreciate the suggestions.
Current Design’s site says
"The sheets are made of co-extruded high impact acrylic over premium impact ABS. They feature the high gloss and light-weight of a traditional composite kayak, and the ruggedness of high impact plastic."
So the acrylic carries UV inhibitors and intercepts the UV so it doesn’t get at the ABS.
I learn something every day.
Where are the cracks? Can you get
reasonable access to them from inside the boat?
I haven’t done that kind of repair. I might suggest carefully taping the cracks shut on the outside, and then drizzling ABS slurry on the inside. It might actually help to “work” the cracks slightly to encourage the slurry to penetrate.
It’s hard to say what the slurry might do before the acetone goes on its way. Daggermat might have good thoughts. A little temporary softening of surrounding ABS may not be harmful. After my famous acetone accident, the outside ABS of my Royalex hull softened temporarily, but it’s now hard again. Even the inner ABS layer that bubbled badly has become hard again.
Or, with the cracks taped outside, you could use superglue inside.
Because I’m more of an epoxy and glass guy, I would be tempted to patch inside with a Kevlar/carbon cloth weave I have. The goal would be to stiffen things so further blows do not blow the superglue or ABS slurry joint loose.
Once things are secure inside, you could take off the outside tape and work superglue into any cracks that aren’t filled.
Bent in half?! 2’- 3’ cracks?!!!
– Last Updated: Jul-18-09 2:37 AM EST –
Sounds like you're asking what brand of bandage to use on a severed torso!
You're not underwhelmed, you're out $2500!
Next patient please...
PS - It's a testament to the material that it even looks remotely salvageable to you after being folded over.
appreciate the nod, Gary
but no way can I come up with a surefire “abs slurry is the answer” to this question. Not familiar with this layup, or the extent of the damage. Gotta’ say all the glue related answers sound good to me, but after basically wrapping this boat, I’m thinking your usual method with glass and resin sounds best.Probably a bit of weakening of the hull that’s not obvious. Epoxy resin, not polyester. The ABS is good for recoats and fills, but won’t hold things back together.
fiberglass
fiberglass does not stick to ABS. Sounds like your kayak is trashed anyway. 2-3 ft cracks just are not going to be fixed easily or securely. Try a couple different things and let us know which works best.
I have two layers of S-glass sticking
to the ABS right under the seat pedestal in my WW boat. I chiseled off the vinyl top layer before applying the S-glass with West epoxy. That patch has taken tremendous punishment and is sticking just fine.
The only plastic I know of where epoxy and glass may not adhere well is poly- polyethylene, the plastic of glue bottles.
Simple fix for Carbonlite kayak
Hi,
There is a simple way to fix your kayak. If you go to the Eddyline web site www.eddyline.com site there is a short video created by Ethan Ebersold (Western States rep) that shows how to use Adhesive and fiberglass tape to make a clean permanent repair.
Falcon
Here is the url for the repair.
http://happypaddlin.blogspot.com/2009/03/eddyline-repair-thermo-form-repair.html
fiberglass tape & resin stick to ABS
just fine.
That’s what most of the repairs I’ve seen to Eddyline kayaks use. That’s what the West Coast rep uses himself.
as mentioned above and below
– Last Updated: Jul-18-09 7:37 PM EST –
Epoxy resin. There are various resins with various purposes for various reasons. I fixed my swimming pool filters, skimmers and all that other swimming pool overpriced plastic crap...with fiberglass.
This was addressed to redrivercanoe, seems to have dropped a few posts.
Carbonlite 2000 repair
Ethan does offer a good review on how to repair Carbonlite 2000. I’m Ethan’s counterpart in the Northeastern States, representing Eddyline since 1996 - the first year we introduced this technology to the market. (show me someone who has been doing it longer…)
One word of advice for all who own our boats, and some of the cheaper versions of this material - keep acetone away from it. Don’t even mention the word when near thermoplastics such as this. /;^)
Also, forget about the super glue, slurrys and various other adhesives and procedures mentioned. I can assure you - most of those repairs will be temporary in nature. I use a plastic welder containing methyl methacrylate for most repairs. While they come in many brands, I mostly recommend Devcon to my customers - which is usually available at reputable hardware stores. If they don’t have it, they can order it.
I’ve emailed trillium privately to offer my advice pro bono, and I’ll let her decide if she wants to post the results. While I haven’t seen the craft, I’m more than confident we can have it seaworthy in a short time.
Regards,
eddy (noun) ‘a divergence from the mainstream’